All
We
Imagine
As
Light
remains
heart-warmingly
affecting
because
you
know
experiences
like
this
are
few
and
far
between.
Payal
Kapadia’s
film-making
voice
must
be
cherished,
asserts
Mayur
Sanap.
The
city
of
Mumbai
stands
as
an
iconic
backdrop
in
movies
so
many
times
before.
There
is
an
allure
to
it
which
transforms
it
from
a
mere
setting
to
becoming
a
character
itself.
Through
the
years,
the
city
has
been
an
enduring
subject
of
fascination
for
film-makers
capturing
the
essence
of
its
beauty
(The
Lunchbox,
Photograph,
Bombay
Talkies),
its
underbelly
(Salaam
Bombay,
Slumdog
Millionaire,
Beyond
The
Clouds),
the
mafia
(Satya,
Shootout
At
Lokhandwala)
and
its
tumultuous
past
(Bombay,
Black
Friday,
Mumbai
Meri
Jaan).
Yet,
in
Payal
Kapadia’s
poetically
titled
All
We
Imagine
As
Light
(AWIAL),
the
wonderful
sense
of
place
and
real
life
feels
refreshingly
novel
due
to
the
tenderness
with
which
the
director
paints
her
vision
that
finds
beauty
in
the
ordinary.
The
film
opens
with
visuals
of
a
sabzi
mandi
where
the
city’s
migrant
population
toils
around
as
a
part
of
their
daily
routine.
We
hear
different
perspectives
of
what
this
city
means
to
them.
There
are
no
faces,
only
voices
in
Hindi,
Marathi,
Bhojpuri,
Malayalam
staying
true
to
the
city’s
embrace
for
multilingualism.
We
hear
one
lady
saying,
‘Every
village
in
India
has
a
person
who
lives
in
Mumbai.’
This
one
line
encapsulates
the
city’s
complexities
and
the
sacrifices
people
often
make
in
their
quest
for
a
better
life.
Another
person
says
he
lived
here
for
years
and
still
can’t
call
it
a
home.
The
love-hate
relationship
we
often
share
with
the
city
is,
after
all,
a
part
of
this
urban
tapestry.
In
Kapadia’s
film,
we
see
the
shadows
of
present-day
Mumbai
where
the
exhilarating
high
energy
of
the
metropolis
is
beautifully
juxtaposed
with
unhurried
exploration
of
its
world
and
characters.
After
the
opening
montage,
the
focus
shifts
to
the
hospital
setting
where
we
are
introduced
to
the
film’s
three
principal
characters.
Prabha
(Kani
Kusruti)
and
Anu
(Divya
Prabha)
are
Malayalee
nurses,
who
work
in
the
same
hospital
in
Mumbai
and
share
a
small
apartment.
Chhaya
Kadam
plays
the
mess
lady
named
Parvati,
who
unlike
her
wisdom-spewing
Manju
Maai
from
Laapataa
Ladies,
is
subdued
and
almost
naïve
about
the
world
around
her.
Kapadia
weaves
themes
of
desires,
unfulfilled
desires
and
longing
around
these
characters
as
they
navigate
through
the
everyday
hassles
of
the
chaotic
city.
Prabha
is
a
head
nurse
whose
work
gives
her
a
sense
of
purpose.
Outside
her
work,
her
life
feels
vacuous
as
she
tries
to
make
sense
of
her
husband’s
sudden
move
to
Germany
without
any
contact
with
her.
She
spends
most
of
her
time
taking
care
of
patients
and
tutoring
new
recruits
at
the
hospital.
She
finds
solace
in
Anu,
whose
uninhibited
ways
work
as
an
antidote
to
her
perpetual
anguish.
Anu
has
a
spunky
streak
in
her
that
mirrors
the
city’s
rebellious
and
rule-breaking
spirit.
She
has
a
Muslim
boyfriend
Shiaz
(Hridhu
Haroon)
and
most
of
the
time,
the
two
engage
in
little
adventures
trying
to
seize
an
opportunity
for
romantic
rendezvous.
Parvati
is
a
widow
whose
life
is
thrown
into
turmoil
after
her
husband’s
demise.
Her
house
is
grabbed
by
land
sharks
where
she
lived
all
her
life.
Why?
Because
‘Kaagaz
nahi
hain‘.
The
three
lives
come
at
an
intersection
when
Prabha
and
Anu
accompany
Parvati
to
her
village
in
Ratnagiri
where
they
find
new
ways
to
reconnect
with
their
desires.
Everything
about
AWIAL
is
neatly
low-key,
be
it
the
presentation
style,
acting,
words
or
glances
the
characters
share
with
each
other.
Within
their
calm
exterior
lies
the
emotional
stir
up
that
feels
palpable.
Kapadia
is
a
keen
and
insightful
observer,
and
she
has
this
ability
to
spark
the
most
heartfelt
of
emotions
out
of
scenes
that
otherwise
seem
ordinary
and
routine.
Her
vision
greatly
benefits
from
the
cinematographic
language
of
Ranabir
Das
who
renders
some
exquisitely
crafted
frames.
There
are
many
static
shots
with
sparse
dialogue
where
you
can
feel
rain-soaked
Mumbai
in
a
hazy
blue
colour
palette
or
smell
the
salty
breeze
of
the
Konkan
coastline.
It
is
this
visual
composition
that
draws
you
in.
All
those
palpable
emotions
are
ably
brought
to
screen
by
the
cast.
Kani
Kusruti
skillfully
captures
every
delicate,
emotional
nuance
of
an
impassive
woman
grappling
with
loneliness
and
unspoken
desires.
For
a
character
that
dwells
in
the
past,
Kapadia
avoids
any
banal
sentimentality
with
Kusruti’s
Prabha.
The
result
is
a
very
restrained
showcase
that
hurtles
between
confusion,
sorrow,
delight
and
anger.
Then,
in
one
tiny
miracle
of
a
scene,
we
see
Prabha’s
emotional
collapse
as
she
holds
the
pressure
cooker
tightly,
which
is
an
unexpected
gift
from
her
estranged
husband.
It
is
a
moment
of
love
and
longing
that
Prabha
never
had
the
privilege
to
experience
before.
Divya
Prabha
as
Anu
brings
out
the
spikiness
of
her
character
with
little
deft
touches.
She
is
also
honest
about
her
vulnerabilities
as
she
knows
somewhere
that
her
boyfriend’s
religious
identity
would
not
mesh
with
her
traditional
Hindu
family.
I
was
slightly
disappointed
with
Chhaya
Kadam’s
character.
While
the
actor
is
as
always
dependable,
her
Parvati
feels
like
a
mere
tool
to
bring
in
a
political
viewpoint
rather
than
a
fully
developed
character.
Unlike
Prabha
and
Anu,
Parvati’s
emotional
depth
and
personal
struggles
are
largely
overlooked
and
her
character
arc
feels
incomplete
without
any
significant
closure.
But
for
all
the
incessant
beauty,
All
We
Imagine
As
Light
remains
heart-warmingly
affecting
because
you
know
experiences
like
this
are
few
and
far
between.
Above
all,
Payal
Kapadia
announces
her
presence
with
authority.
Her
film-making
voice
must
be
cherished.
